A/N: hey people!

Little note when it comes to 'he' and 'she' when talking about Germany. When she is with people who don't know, even if someone there does if there are people that don't know, the pronoun would be 'he'. When she is only with someone who knows her secret then she is 'she'.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Prussia and Germany sat on the roof of their house watching the stars and sharing a drink.

"Brother." Germany said after minutes of silence. "What is love?"

Prussia was the only person she knew who could do a perfect combination of a snort and a chuckle as he brought his glass to his lips and drank. "Afraid that you're asking the wrong person little bird of mine."

"So you don't love me?" Germany said with mock hurt.

Prussia chuckled as he moved the bottle towards her. "Don't try guilt, it never works on me."

Germany shook her head as she took the bottle and poured more into her glass.

"So, what brought this talk of love?" gilbert asked lying back onto the roof.

"Just trying to figure out my own feelings." she said as she rolled the glass in her hands.

"Towards South Italy?" gilbert asked with a smirk.

Germanys blush was enough of an answer.

"Well if you get Romano then I call dibs on Veneziano." Prussia said. "Though I might need a crowbar to pry him away from you."

"To tell you the truth I'm surprised that Romano knows about me and Veneziano doesn't." Germany said. "Veneziano sneaks into my bed, when I am showering, constantly touching and hugging me. And Romano…is Romano."

Prussia chuckled again as he pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and lighted one.

Germany glanced at him. "You do know that our boss wants us to be models for a perfect human being, which includes not smoking?"

"He's already given up hope on me the moment that he saw me. You're supposed to be his ideal German man." Prussia said without looking at her. "You want one?"

"Please."

He lit another cigarette and passed it to Germany. She closed her eyes as she brought it to her mouth and inhaled.

"My body hurts." Germany admitted quietly as she held the cigarette.

"War." Prussia said simply. "Hurts everyone."

"It's not just the battle fronts or the inside rebellions." Germany said watching the smoke from her cigarette drift lazily into the air. "It's something else, something I can't really explain."

"Try." Prussia advised.

Germany sighed as she slumped forward. "I feel…like…I'm being hanged. Or I'm inhaling these poisonous gases. Sometimes no matter how much I eat I'm still hungry." her voice fell to a whisper. "I feel that I am with others in a room waiting to die yet at the same time I am the one who closed the door on the people waiting to die."

Prussia gave a low whistle. "You do know our boss is hiding something from us, right? Maybe those things you're feeling has something to do with that."

"I don't know." Germany said bringing her cigarette back to her lips. "I'm just…worried."

"It's alright to tell me that you're scared." Prussia said. "I raised you, I'm your older brother, and one time I was your husband."

"You do realize how horrible that sounds right?" Germany asked rhetorically.

"All I know is that in the end our thoughts don't really matter." Prussia said. "We are tools to be used by our boss. Sucks ass but that's how it has been since the first leader and personification."

Romano tried to keep his hands steady as they gripped the gun. He cursed to himself, he had been through war hundreds of times and still each time he shook like a goddamn leaf.

Next to him was Veneziano who was shaking almost uncontrollably. With each blast of a bomb he flinched and gave small gasps.

A mixture of emotions swam through Romano at the sight of his brother. Disapproval, shame, protectiveness, hatred, disgust, pity.

"Come on." Romano urged Veneziano to move. "You know how to shoot so do it at anyone who isn't our allies."

Veneziano nodded as he blinked his tear filled eyes. He looked entirely too young and innocent at the moment.

Romano felt another wave of disgust wash over him. They continued to run forward, dodging bullets and staying together. The sounds of guns firing and the bombs felling were practically deafening. Every handful of seconds Romano would glance to his side to make sure Veneziano was still there and unhurt.

They hid behind the remains of a building as they reloaded. Romano ignored the soft cries coming from Veneziano who was shaking so that he could barely hold the gun, instead Romano focused on keeping his hands straight as he reloaded.

"Germany." Veneziano whimpered. "Germany."

"Germanys not here." Romano snapped, feeling his stomach drop. "He's not here."

"He would protect us." Veneziano said his voice shaking.

'No, he wouldn't.' Romano thought to himself. 'But she would.'

"Stay focused!" Romano snapped. "Germanys not here, we are. Now focus!"

In an answer Veneziano eyes widened and he let out a whimper.

"What?" Romano demanded. "What?"

He whirled around and was rewarded with a gun mere centimeters away from between his eyes.

"Hello there." came the triumphant voice of England.

"Seriously, the way they were sitting there out in the open and chatting. It's almost as if they were asking me to capture them!" England boasted.

Romano gritted his teeth as he shifted and tried to get his arms free. No such luck, it seemed that England still remembered plenty of knots from his pirate days. Next to him Veneziano was shaking even more.

"We're not going to hurt either one of you." France said patiently before smirking and saying "You're just bait of course, for Germany to come here."

Veneziano perked up at Germanys name.

England was walking around the room with his hands behind his back. "It's really just a matter of time before Germany comes and then we'll-" he was cut off suddenly as he walked in front of the only window in the room. A bullet broke through the window and embedded itself into Englands head. England immediately fell to the ground and laid there motionless.

"England!" France yelled running to the now dead body. The moment he came into view of the window a second bullet had broken through the window. France joined his friend on the ground.

Mere seconds afterwards the door to the room opened and Germany entered. He sighed as he walked to the brothers and slid his knife out of his pocket and started to cut away the rope.

"Will there be a time when the two of you go into battle without me and I won't have to rescue you?" Germany asked rhetorically. He glanced at France and England. "Russia will come soon and when he finds them he'll know to take the bullets out so they can come back to life."

As Germany freed the two a third bullet came through the window and buried itself in the wall above Germanys head.

"Brother, stop wasting bullets." Germany said bringing the radio at his side up. The only answer was Prussias unmistakable laughter.

Germany shook his head as Veneziano and Romano stood and massaged their limbs which had been contained in the rope. Veneziano all but threw himself at Germany and curled his arms around the other happily.

Germany embraced the smaller man. "Good to see you too." he said dryly. "Are either of you hurt?"

Romano shook his head silently as Veneziano, and Romano really hoped that it was his imagination, purred into Germanys chest.

"Alright then let's go." Germany said. "I have a car waiting for us."

Romano was surprisingly silent the entire car ride as he sat in the backseat. Occasionally Germany would glance at him in the rearview mirror in concern however he never said anything. Veneziano filled the car with enough talk for the three of them.

"Can you drop me off here, Germany?" Veneziano asked tapping on the window with his finger. "I haven't seen big brother Spain in a while."

Wordlessly Germany pulled to the side and unlocked the door.

"Grazie for everything Germany." Veneziano said sweetly as he leaned over and kissed Germany on the cheek, a little too close to the mouth for it to be an accident or platonic.

Fire erupted in Romanos stomach and chest as red overtook his vision. Hatred, anger, and some unknown emotion threw their heads up and roared, nearly deafening him.

Then, as suddenly as it had came, it disappeared as he leaned back in his seat.

It didn't really matter what Romano felt, or thought, or did. Because Veneziano wanted the same thing. And in the end Veneziano always won. Because he was desired, not Romano. Because Veneziano was liked, not Romano. Because Veneziano was perfect.

And Romano wasn't.

"Romano?" Germany twisted herself to look at Romano directly. "Are you alright?"

Romano nodded as he leaned against his window. "Just drive. I'll get out where you do."

"I'll drive you to your home." Germany said turning her attention back in front and driving once more.

"I said that I'll get off where you get off." Romano said.

"It's no trouble to me." Germany said. "I won't be able to come over this weekend, I have a meeting with my boss and some of his men, so this will be the only time that I get to spend alone with you."

"Sorry about that." Romano said. His hands were curling into fists and he could feel the beginning of a sneer coming onto his face.

"Sorry for what?" Germany asked slightly confused.

"Sorry that you have to spend time alone with me." Romano said sneering at her. "I know that I'm bad company and all."

"I don't think your bad company." Germany protested. "We've been together before and you've always been very nice."

Romano gave a curt laugh. "Well yeah! Because that's how I was raised! To be nice and a gentleman to girls."

He saw Germany give him a sharp look in the rearview mirror. "If I had to say, I believe that you enjoyed my company more than the fact that I am…physically a woman."

"A woman." Romano repeated. "That's rich."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Germany snapped at him. "What's gotten into you?"

"You call yourself a woman." Romano sneered. "But to tell you the truth you are the most pathetic excuse for a woman I have ever seen."

"I mean women look good in dresses and skirts and they like flowers and cute things." Romano continued. "You are nothing like that. You are nothing like a woman at all. An abomination actually is what you are."

"Shut. Your mouth. Before I shut it for you." Germany warned.

"Have you ever considered something?" Romano said continuing as if he hadn't heard her. "Just why is it that no one has ever questioned you? That you've been able to play dress up like a man and no one would be none the wiser?"

"Means you must be a pretty ugly woman if you can pass as a man and no one would even look twice at you." Romano sneered. "And in truth I have never seen a more ugly woman in my life. Hell I think Austrias women are more desirable."

"Get out." Germany said her hand going towards the gun at her side. "Get out before I do something I don't want to do."

Romano smirked. "Well you might not look like a woman at all but you sure act like one. All emotional and over reacting."

He didn't wait for a comeback as he slid out of the car, slamming extra hard on the door to make sure the car shook, and walked away.

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.

Questions? Comments? Leave them in a review.

Until next time.

This is Phoenix-Fire Power over and out.